


that dizzy edge

by theeternalblue



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Best Friends, Developing Relationship, Exploration of Characters, F/M, Friendship/Love, High School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29278932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theeternalblue/pseuds/theeternalblue
Summary: The day after their last high school party seems to bring back all kinds of memories as Archie and Veronica try to figure out how they got here.Seven minutes burst a bubble carefully built for years, and now they have to face the truth they wanted to hide or the one they hadn't realized about.
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Betty Cooper, Archie Andrews & Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews & Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones & Veronica Lodge, Minor Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper - Relationship, minor Archie Andrews/Valerie Brown - Relationship, minor Veronica Lodge/Jason Blossom
Comments: 16
Kudos: 28





	1. don't dream it's over

**Author's Note:**

> I shouldn't start another story... yet here we are.

_ now _

There’s a bad taste in his mouth. It’s sort of like the one he gets after drinking too many cheap beers at Reggie’s. But he knows he wasn’t drunk last night. He barely managed to have one beer and since it was at the Blossom’s, the adjective cheap doesn’t come to mind. Also, his neck hurts but it might be because he fell asleep on the couch in the garage, and he can still feel one of the springs poking his back.

It’s very likely he’s radiating his bad mood because he doesn’t get from his dad more than a  _ good morning, kiddo _ , and a pat on the shoulder. He barely nods and keeps his sight focused on the bacon sizzling in the pan in front of him. A droplet of oil burns the inside of his forearm, but he only frowns and cracks an egg to add to his breakfast.

Showering did nothing to improve his day so he hopes a full stomach will do the trick. Though, he cannot make any promises.

How is it that everything he carefully built for  _ years  _ went to hell because of seven minutes in heaven?  _ Seven  _ fucking _ minutes! _

He heaves a sigh, and it’s then when Fred stops pouring coffee in his  _ Andrews Construction  _ mug to give him a look.

“Archie? Everything okay?”

Looking at his father, Archie tries to open his mouth and share what’s been bothering him this morning – this month, year, couple of years? Yeah, he’s been bottling things up, but what’s new? Anyway, he decides against it and shakes his head.

But before Fred can insist, knowing he’s lying, the doorbell rings.

Saved by the bell.

Or maybe not? Maybe cursed by it.

“Arch, someone is looking for you,” Fred announces with a lopsided smile as if he knew a secret. Behind him stands their visitor.

Well, if he had really wanted to keep hidden, he should’ve stayed in the garage until his final days to avoid her. He knows now the bad taste in his mouth is the sense of impending doom, and bacon or coffee won’t be able to erase it.

  
  


_ sophomore year _

His hand feels sweaty and he wonders if it’s the embarrassment or just hormones. Kind of like when his dad threw a can of antiperspirant at him and gave him a talk about puberty and changes, and he felt like hiding under the bed because yes, he was aware there was a smell around him that wasn’t there before.

But when he looks at his right and sees a tidy ponytail in a flowery scrunchie, he smiles.

Betty has been a rock through his life and it seems natural that their lifelong friendship would turn into something else at one point. Besides, he did propose to her when they were seven, so this might only be the first step into the rest of his life or something.

She lets go of his hand and they both wipe their hands on their jeans before holding them together again.

“I’m planning on reviving the Blue and Gold,” Betty comments as she opens her locker and he stands beside her, leaning against the wall while she carefully takes her books and leaves some things there for later. On her locker’s door there’s a picture of them in second grade, and another one at Pop’s from the beginning of summer before they became more than friends. “I know we don’t live in an era of printed and serious journalism, but I think that’s the exact reason I should bring it back.”

He hums, half-listening to her but he’s actually kind of amused watching the football team guys who are waiting for him to be given the okay before leaving Betty.

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll present my idea to Weatherbee as soon as I finish giving the tour to a new student.” 

Yes, of course she’s the one giving tours to new kids because there’s no one else who could make this place look better than Betty – and also probably no one else offered to do it.

She takes one sky blue highlighter and shuts her locker close, smiling at him before pecking his lips.

They both turn bright red, and it gets even worse when Reggie catcalls.

Archie doesn’t want to make a big deal about their relationship but things with Betty have been going pretty slow compared to the stories he hears from his friends and teammates. And it’s a little frustrating but he’s committed to being a gentleman. After all, last weekend they finally got to second base – even if over the clothes. But they have to start somewhere, right?

“See you at lunch?” Betty’s ponytail bounces as she balances on the heels of her pastel pink Keds.

“Sure, save me a spot,” he says before he moves away, already joining the Bulldogs who are annoying and loud – childish as Betty says.

She rolls her eyes and heaves a long displeased sigh before turning in the opposite direction, towards the principal’s office.

  
  


Taking an apple and a bottle of water, Archie chuckles as he watches Jughead filling up his tray with food.

“If she’s a history teacher, shouldn’t she have her facts checked? I mean, I’d be embarrassed to be corrected by a fifteen-year-old, but that doesn’t mean she had to send me to the principal’s office.” Jughead grabs an apple too but takes a big bite, continuing talking even if he hasn’t chewed it completely. “I mean, Weatherbee didn’t even bother and just let me go. Clearly, she has issues because everyone knows she had a fling with that Cheeto smelling guy from the gas station. Sordid, I’ll admit, I like it.” Jughead grins while following Archie who only keeps laughing.

Jughead has been his friend since forever. A misfit, even Jughead himself will admit, but fun to have around. They share a love for old gritty movies and, until not so long ago, playing jokes on Betty. Jughead is also an avid reader and writer of crime stories, so the sordid story of Miss Olsen’s affair with the Cheeto smelling guy with a glass eye from the gas station seems like something he’d use as inspiration for a tale.

It’s not hard to spot Betty in the cafeteria. She’s like a cotton candy beacon in her pink sweater, animatedly talking to Kevin to her left, while at her right he sees a handbag on the chair that he’s sure it’s not Betty’s.

He slows down to let Jughead walk around the table and feels someone colliding with his back, with enough momentum to push him but not hard enough to make him drop anything.

“Sorry,” a smooth and feminine voice calls and he turns around to see a petite girl with inky black hair, big brown eyes framed by long dark lashes and a shade of dark berry lips that might make his heart skip a beat. She doesn’t seem like she belongs in Riverdale, much less in the cafeteria with those clothes and high heels either.

Her eyes do a quick scan across his face and most of him too, and she smiles softly while holding her phone in one hand. It seems she was on the phone when she bumped into him.

“Veronica Lodge,” she introduces herself smoothly. “And you are?”

He opens his mouth to speak and probably fuck up whatever introduction he could make because he feels his cheeks starting to burn as she keeps looking at him with those intense dark eyes, but Betty beats him to it.

“He’s Archie, my boyfriend. The one I told you about.”

The shame comes a minute too late. He doesn’t understand the feeling that overcomes him the moment Betty tells the new girl he’s taken. Is it disappointment? Embarrassment? His stomach drops because he does likeBetty. She’s nice, smart and pretty and above all that, she’s his best friend. But should he even have a girlfriend? Isn’t he too young? Too immature? And what about Veronica, does she have a boyfriend? She must. She’s so beautiful.

“ _ Oh _ ,” Veronica mutters, her smile faltering for a second before she paints it back on. “Nice to meet you. Betty said wonderful things about her athletic boyfriend.” She winks before walking past him, and Archie feels a pinch in his heart as she sits down where the handbag was waiting.

He looks at Betty then, and she’s blushing. “I only told her we’ve been dating since the beginning of summer.”

But that’s not what he was thinking. And he feels awful, more so when he has to sit between Betty and Veronica, torn for having this reaction to a girl he barely knows.

He takes a deep breath and chugs down his bottle of water while Veronica tells them all about how she landed in the  _ Town with Pep! _ yet it looks like the setting for the second part of  _ In Cold Blood  _ by Truman Capote, even though she’s  _ Breakfast at Tiffany’s _ .

He only laughs because the rest of his friends do, but she seems to realize he doesn’t get the joke and pokes his side which makes him laugh harder and splutter some water.

Jughead shoots him a look, smirking as he takes a massive bite from his sandwich, and it’s instinctive to shake his head. He doesn’t know what he’s saying no to, but it feels like he should say no nonetheless.

  
  


Veronica and her family turn Riverdale upside down. She hasn’t been in school for more than half a day and the rumor mill is running at high speed.

Archie’s never been the kind of guy who pays attention to it – knowing quite well how hurtful it can be since he suffered it when his parents decided to separate. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t heard the gossip, especially because Reggie  _ is _ the kind of guy who has to know everything.

“They say her father is in jail. Some rich dude who stole a lot of money,” Reggie comments while the team changes into their uniforms for the first days of tryouts. “I think that’s badass. Imagine how famous you’d have to be to run away from New York and come to this hellhole.”

Archie shakes his head but chuckles a bit. Only Reggie would think committing crimes is  _ badass _ .

“Also, Veronica is like,  _ super hot _ ,” Reggie whistles lowly, and Moose joins him.

For some reason that gets on his nerves, so Archie chucks his shoes in the locker and slams it shut.

Something tells him he’ll need to get used to checking his temper when it comes to people talking about Veronica. Besides, what does he care? He barely knows her.

But that starts to change sooner than he could’ve thought.

He’s still gasping for air at the end of tryouts for the varsity team when he sees two girls in cheerleading uniforms approaching. Veronica beaming with pride, and Betty blushing furiously when she realizes he’s looking at them.

It’s not like he wanted his girlfriend to be in the cheer squad. She never seemed interested in sports or activities like the Vixens, unlike her older sister Polly. He’s unsure about the motive behind this decision, but he has to admit it is nice seeing her finally making new friends.

“What do you think, Archiekins?” Veronica twirls in her uniform. Archie swallows, unsure of what to say as his cheeks heat up, and Veronica immediately reaches for one of Betty’s hands, making her do a little spin that has them chuckling.

“You look great,” he says through a smile, willing himself to only stare at his girlfriend but it seems an impossible task when Veronica is wearing that skirt.

Besides, the ridiculous nickname she gave him makes him blush but fortunately, it can be disguised as a reaction to pecking Betty’s lips and whispering she looks beautiful. Which she does, but he stupidly feels like a liar.

“V said now I can cheer you on your games, and I thought it was a nice idea. Also, it’ll look great on my college applications,” Betty justifies as if she had to do it.

Of course she’s thinking about college – she’s been working towards Northwestern since middle school, and she dreams to be a journalist. It’s great for her but he dislikes it when she starts pressuring him into a path for his future, asking where he wants to go, what he wants to do.

“Football is a great way to find a spot in college too.”

Archie ducks his head and breathes noisily through his nose.

_ He’s fifteen!  _ He just doesn’t know what he’ll be doing in ten years from now. Maybe college isn't for him.

“So, what do kids do around here to have fun?” Veronica interrupts and it’s a blessing. “These two newly minted River Vixens can’t just stand around looking cute.”

Archie smiles. “Have you been to Pop’s? I think we need to celebrate.”

  
  


It’s the third time in the last hour Mrs. Cooper  _ stealthily _ peeks into Betty’s room. Archie knows he’s not really welcome by Betty’s mom, and she doesn’t even try to hide it. Whenever he visits his girlfriend, he has to stay at least a foot away or his hands have to be completely visible. The bedroom door has to stay wide open, of course. Sometimes, they manage to get away with it and have a solid fifteen-minute makeout session. Not today, though.

Today, Archie heaves a sigh from his spot on Betty’s desk chair and watches her frown on her bed as she types something on her laptop. Betty hasn’t paid attention to him for more than ten minutes and he knows that’s because something is bothering her.

“What’s wrong?” he asks bluntly because he’s not so good at reading her ever since they started dating, and it’s not only that but he thinks she feels this constant need to hide her true emotions. It might have to do with how controlling Mrs. Cooper is, but she shouldn’t be this way around him, especially now that they’re something else.

“Nothing.”

“Betty,” he insists.

“What?” She lifts her gaze, blinks twice, and her shoulders drop as she blows a breath. She hesitates before speaking, he can see the doubt. “Do you think I’ve been slacking this year? With cheerleading and setting the Blue and Gold back in business?”

Archie snorts a laugh. Is she serious? She’s one of the best students in the history of Riverdale. She got an internship at a publishing company in New York for a month over the summer, and she writes small articles for the town newspaper, but she thinks she’s slacking off?

She glares at his reaction.

“Are you joking? Betty, that’s impossible.”

But she worries her lip between her teeth and soon he figures out why she might be thinking that.

Veronica is not only a bright new addition to the school. In two months the novelty hasn’t worn off because she’s fun and popular, she’s stylish and she has stolen some lead positions in the cheering squad besides joining the Pussycats for one school show because Josie invited her. But Betty was okay with that. What probably bothers her is that besides all the social skills Veronica possesses, she’s also a star student. All in high heels and with hair that looks fresh out of the salon.

Never before had his girlfriend met someone who could match her brains, maybe Jughead in English but he only writes what he likes and hates assignments, so it was never an issue. Dilton didn’t count because he’s mostly distracted by his own personal projects. But maybe this is different, and Archie guesses this is the first time she feels… kind of jealous of someone.

“You don’t have to be excellent at everything, you know. You have a lot on your plate.”

“You’re right. I think I’ll drop out of the Vixens. It’s just a distraction.”

Archie winces at her definitive tone. He didn’t want her to give up on anything and he didn’t mean to say that she  _ couldn’t  _ do it. “Are you sure? It’s fun when we ride the bus together and–”

“I should focus on my curriculum,” she says, and he knows there’s no way he’ll convince her otherwise. He wouldn’t try either, because as much as it pains him to say it, she’s talking just like her mother. “You should join–”

“I won’t join the Blue and Gold,” he spits out before he can even think about how tired he sounds when he tells her that. “I don’t like writing. Not like that,” he offers as a matter of explanation when she seems taken aback by his reply. “Ask Jug. I’m sure he’ll like it.”

She ponders. “Yes, maybe.”

“You could even tell Veronica.” He offers casually because they are friends despite it all.

“No,” Betty says this time, refusing to look at him. But in a more mellow tone, she explains, “She’s has a lot on her plate too.”

  
  


Veronica hip-checks him, and Archie laughs. They are waiting for the bus to go on their away game in Greendale, and Cheryl is bickering with Reggie which is hilarious and everyone thinks so.

Ever since Betty quit the Vixens, Veronica has made her personal goal to cheer him on their games, even if he’s most of the time on the bench because Jason Blossom is their star player and captain – though, Archie is hoping next year things will change after Jason graduates, so he’s not bitter about it.

He tries to ignore the way Jason winks at Veronica, and how she smirks and bats her eyelashes because it’s not his problem. It’s not, yet his back tenses anyway. It’s just that he’s very protective of his friends, and Jason is a player in more than one sense. He witnessed it first-hand when Jason dated Betty’s sister for a hot minute and how messy things ended up.

Once in the bus, Cheryl and Veronica sit together in the second row, working out details about more than just the routine. There’s a party at the Blossoms after they get back and those are known to be the best kind – no supervision and the good liquor Jason will surely make sure flows like maple syrup.

He sits opposite sides on the fourth row, next to Moose who is looking through the window towards a truck parked in the school’s parking lot that Archie is sure it belongs to Sheriff Keller. But he is quickly distracted when Archie sits down.

“Reggie filled his shoes with pot, so I don’t know how intoxicating it’ll be at the party,” he jokes, making Archie chuckle. “Is B coming to the game?”

Archie shakes his head. “No, she… was helping at the newspaper.” In reality, she told him her mom was working on some article and she was doing research. She doesn’t like football, and much less partying at the Blossom’s so she said no to the party too. Funny thing is, she sent Jughead as the Blue and Gold reporter for the game.

He turns around to see his childhood friend sitting at the very back surrounded by Midge, Tina, and Ginger, who are toying with his beanie. Midge even takes Jughead’s camera to snap a picture of them and she gives him bunny ears. He might not be smiling but he’s blushing, which is hysterical.

“Stay away from the hobo, Vixens!” Cheryl shouts from the front and Jughead glares at her.

“No need to be territorial, Cheryl,” Jughead retorts. “You can sit on my lap.”

The whole football team hollers, laughing wildly. Archie swears he can almost see the steam coming out of Cheryl’s ears.

“You wish, miscreant. It’s a wonder you can sit there when all you are is a slithering filthy snake,” she shoots back.

“Takes one to know one,  _ Cher _ .”

They stop their exchange when the coach gets on the bus – no one wants to end up kicked out at the last minute, calling their parents to get a ride to another town, risking being left behind and be out of the game or worse, grounded and with no party.

“Andrews, Veronica sends this,” Steve says from across the aisle, handing him something. A protein bar.

Archie feels the tip of his ears burning because yes, he tends to feel queasy on game day and therefore not eating and Veronica knows that, so she has made her mission to feed him snacks and make sure he drinks enough fluids.

She winks at him from her spot and then keeps talking with Cheryl as he realizes it’s chocolate peanut butter – his favorite. He opens it and takes a bite while his gaze is still fixed on her shiny dark hair a few feet away from him.

  
  


“Your turn, Lodge!” Moose shouts, guzzling down a beer as he throws an arm around Reggie’s shoulders. They both laugh out of nowhere because they are already high not only on pot but also on winning the game. Though Moose it’s the only sophomore who played the whole game – he’s kind of a natural and the Masons are known for generations of football stars.

“Isn’t this a bit childish?” Veronica wonders, laughing around her words when Cheryl gasps.

“This is a classic in American culture, darling,” Cheryl offers, placing the bottle of maple soda more firmly on the coffee table.

Archie hears Jason chuckling at his right and feels his stomach twisting. He hates the game of spin the bottle and he shouldn’t be playing but the football guys wouldn’t let it go – this will mean trouble with Betty and he’ll come forward in the morning before she can find out through someone else. But it’s not only that. Before puberty found him, he was a scrawny kid with braces and at twelve Tina Patel refused to kiss him during Polly’s birthday party in front of everyone – Reggie still brings it up randomly.

“Fine, fine,” Veronica giggles and takes the bottle.

And there’s that feeling again, the gut-twisting and accelerating heartbeat as the bottle starts spinning and then lands pointing just an inch to his right.

Moose laughs while Reggie and some other guys from the team whoop with joy and mischief. Jason Blossom, Riverdale’s golden boy, will finally have a chance with new girl Veronica Lodge, after months of flirting.

A lump forms in Archie’s throat as he watches the hormonal ritual of the couple going into the big closet at the end of the hall, but he tries to smooth it out with a beer Frankie passes on the way as he follows Cheryl like a lost puppy.

He refuses to participate in another round because he has a girlfriend, and Betty deserves better than him doing this. He can say no, and Archie does, despite Reggie acting asshole-ish about it.

Seven minutes after going in, Jason leaves the closet with a triumphant smile and followed by Veronica. Her lipstick has mostly left her lips to find place on the Bulldogs’ quarterback, and it seems like everyone is finally happy.

An hour later, Archie is watching some beer pong game between Ginger and Steve, laughing at how much Steve sucks at it when he feels a slim arm going around his waist. He watches a full head of onyx waves peek at his left as Veronica leans against his side.

“I want to go home.” She looks up at him, big eyes blinking slowly. Her eyes are a bit glassy with alcohol, but she’s not really drunk. “Smithers will pick me up, but would you wait with me outside? We can take you home if you want.”

He stares at her for a couple of seconds, before leaving his beer somewhere – it was lukewarm anyway – and wraps an arm around her shoulders.

“Let’s go.”

“Thank you, Archiekins.”

As they wait she offers him a piece of cinnamon gum, but he declines. She says she only chews gum since she quit smoking at the beginning of the year, but hopes to ditch the habit as soon as her cravings for cigarettes go away.

Smithers is kind and quiet, not even looking at them strangely when they get in the car smelling like beer, smoke, and general teenage nonsense, as Fred says of Archie when he washes his clothes after a party. He only asks Archie for his address and thanks him for being a good friend to Miss Veronica, but there’s no way it could’ve been any other way because this is how he was raised.

Besides, Veronica takes care of him too.

When he finally gets home, he says goodbye and Veronica thanks him once more for being such a good friend, which is no problem at all for him, but looks like a big deal in her eyes. He’s happy to be there, although he’s done only the bare minimum.

His dad is watching TV and pretends he wasn’t waiting up for him. He congratulates Archie for the win and tells him to brush his teeth and take a bottle of water  _ just in case _ .

Archie chuckles and thanks him before climbing up to his room.

Betty’s light is on and he can see her working on her desk before she lifts her head and smiles. She waves at him and he waves back. After writing down something, he laughs when he sees she wrote  _ congrats! _ surrounded with hearts on a piece of paper, with a big proud smile on her face.

Moments like this make him feel extremely lucky.

  
  


The beginning of winter break is finally here and Archie couldn’t be happier. He’s not excelling at school but he’s finally found something he is passionate about besides sports.

Music is probably something in the background of everyone’s lives, but it has taken a more relevant place in his. He’s been putting more effort into practicing with his guitar and has started writing down some of his own music – even if they are some lost paragraphs he can’t quite put together yet. But this is enough to get him thinking about maybe looking for something at school to get more guidance and share with the other musicians, even if Josie scares him a bit with her intensity.

But this afternoon he has other plans. He bought some pastries and made hot chocolate the way his dad makes it, sweet and generous on the chocolate. He cleaned the porch and made it cozy to invite Betty over for a nice time together and later go to the Bijou to watch the double feature.

He sees her hurrying around her house, the fresh snow crunching under her boots and her cheeks turning pink with the cold.

“Hi, Arch,” she greets him shyly as she takes a pause to climb the steps leading to the porch carefully.

Since he’s been planning this date with her, he’s been on high energy. He really wants to put an effort on their relationship because in their six months of dating things haven’t really gone anywhere and it frustrates him a little, if only because he has barely noticed this eternal inertia. He wonders if there’s something he’s not doing right.

When leaning in for a kiss on the lips, Betty seems a little surprised but she smiles and then pets Vegas on the head because the dog will be forever the third wheel as long as they are at home. She laughs loudly when Vegas turns on his back for a belly rub, and it’s nice to know she’s starting this afternoon on that note.

They sit outside with their mugs and watch Elm St blanketed in white just like when they were kids and played building snowmen and snowball fighting against Polly and her friends.

“I like this,” Betty comments before taking a sip of the hot chocolate, closing her eyes and sighing with a smile.

“Me too,” Archie replies, but the sense of accomplishment at making his girlfriend happy wanes when she bites her lip and then looks at him with a crease of worry between her eyebrows.

“Don’t you feel the last few months have been…  _ stressful _ ?” It’s soft like she’s scared of frightening him, and he notices there must be something wrong but he’s not quite sure yet.

“School?”

She tilts her head to the side. “Yes, but also us.”

And then he feels his stomach dropping and not even the biggest hot chocolate in the world could make him feel better right now. The first thought that comes to mind is that he did something wrong. He fucked up, but what? Did he hang out with the football guys too much? Was it the party and the stupid game? He told her the whole truth. Was it Veronica? Because it couldn’t be, it makes no sense.

“What do you mean? Betty, I like you. I like being with you.” He hopes he doesn’t sound as desperate as he feels, because this is not even about him. This is how he made  _ her  _ feel. He can’t stand the thought of her feeling miserable being with him.

“And I like you too!” She places a hand over his forearm, and he only feels the light pressure through his jacket. “But now it feels like we can’t talk to each other anymore. Being boyfriend and girlfriend put this pressure on us, and I miss my friend.” She leaves her mug at her side and uses her free hand to take his. “For some reason what used to come naturally now feels like a chore, like I have to show up to your games because I’m your girlfriend, and you have to come watch me debate because you’re my boyfriend.” She chuckles. “I know you hate it and I’m sorry Dilton kicked you out for eating chips.”

He blushes. “But we used to do that before.”

“Because we wanted to. Because we were supporting our friend.”

Archie looks at their hands and feels something weird on his chest. Is it relief?

“I miss talking to my best friend and saying ridiculous things without the fear of messing things up. I miss hearing your locker room stories because now you’re scared I’ll get mad.” Betty smiles genuinely for the first time in a while. “I need my friend more than I need a boyfriend, Arch.”

“But I love you.”

“I love you too, but it’s not the kind of love we thought it was.” She socks him on the shoulder, and he winces but laughs. “I couldn’t do this to my boyfriend.  _ Ex-boyfriend. _ ”

He pokes her side making her squeal. “He sounds like a dick.”

Betty cracks up. “He isn’t. We just are better off as friends.” She smiles, taking her mug and having another sip. “He’s my best friend, and I’m glad I got him back.”

She’s right. It’s almost like a switch, and the pressure of having to play this part of boyfriend while feeling like he was failing is gone and now they can be just Archie and Betty. He can tell her he has no clue what he wants and not feel like he’s disappointing her or ruining her plans.

“I think I want to do something with music,” he blurts out and she beams at him. “And I planned on playing for you today.”

“That’s great, Arch. But that’s a little sad now, don’t you think?”

He chuckles, shaking his head. He still goes for his guitar and his numb fingers pluck the notes of  _ 1979 _ from the strings. It’s like traveling back in time but also forward, and it’s the best he’s felt this year.

  
  


Returning from winter break is an unforeseen adventure. Archie never thought his relationship with Betty was something worthy of hall talk, but apparently it is. There’s some talking behind his back, some cheerleaders flirt with him, and Jughead is completely elated of documenting all the stories created to justify why Archie and Betty broke up.

“Apparently, you’re too dumb for her,” Jughead says nonchalantly and Archie slams his locker shut to glare at his alleged friend. “Be honest, though. That’s the case with most girls.”

Archie shoves him playfully and Jughead chuckles but recovers quickly to follow him down the hall.

“In other news–”

“Oh, you heard more than gossip about my love life?” Archie mocks him.

“I’m thinking about writing a column on dating advice,” Jughead quips. He’s never been interested in regular high school life but he’s enthralled with the complications of his peers. Besides kissing Cheryl Blossom in the eighth grade on a dare, Jughead hasn’t had a love life per se. Until this day both deny said kiss, but Archie was there to witness it.

They turn around a corner and Archie sees Veronica at her locker but not alone, next to her is Jason. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out they are flirting with each other – Archie might not be the brightest out of their generation but hormones are kind of the universal language at his age.

“ _ That _ ,” Jughead points out. “Apparently Jason and Veronica went on a date last weekend. I thought you might want to know.”

“Me?” Archie babbles and then forces himself to unglue his gaze from the way Jason tilts his head to talk closer to Veronica. “Why?” he frowns.

Jughead blinks at him a couple of times and then shakes his head, frustrated out of nowhere. “Nothing. She’s your friend, that’s all.”

She  _ is _ his friend. And okay, maybe he wouldn’t have picked Jason for Veronica but he gets why they might be right in some sense. They both come from money and have a more worldly vision. They’ve traveled more than the average kid in this town so Jason could turn out to be less boring for her. Besides, Archie believes Veronica is the first girl Cheryl hasn’t threatened about going close to her brother, so she might even have her blessing.

“Archiekins!” Veronica pats the empty stool next to her in the lab, and Archie can’t help to smile. “Hi, lab partner.”

Archie laughs. “I thought you were partnered with Ethel.”

“Well, we switched because she wanted to be next to Ben,” Veronica explains, her chin perched on her hand. “And I wanted to know how you're feeling.”  _ Oh, no _ . He can exactly pinpoint the moment her attitude starts filling with pity, and he wants to run. “I heard about you and Betty.”

“I’m fine. We’re fine. We decided we’re better off as friends.”

“Are you sure?” Veronica places a hand over his and he feels like throwing up for some reason. His cheeks burn.

“I am.” He clears his throat. “And I’m also sure I suck at chemistry, so you made a bad choice.”

She laughs. “Nonsense. Chemistry will be our thing.”

  
  


Overthinking is not his thing but when it comes to music, it seems that changes. He talks to Josie about booking some time in the music room and also about maybe rehearsing with her and the Pussycats. At first, she almost kicks him out, telling him something about being an amateur and only there for the popularity when in reality the idea of playing before an audience scares the hell out of him.

With that answer, he doesn’t expect much but one day Valerie, Josie’s band’s keyboard player, approaches him and lets him know she and Melody convinced Josie to let him help them. It’s all about learning for him, so of course he says yes.

Not only is Josie talented as the frontwoman, but Valerie is great at writing music and Melody has a sick sense of how the beat of the music and the lyrics work together, and they helped him to hone his talent in a way he thought impossible through YouTube videos.

“Say hi, Archie,” Valerie quips and when he lifts his gaze he notices she’s been recording it on her phone. He just doesn’t feel ready to show this to anyone.

“Hi. Now stop.”

She laughs but then focuses the camera on herself. “As you see, musicians are moody and this guitar player is shy but a natural.”

They are rehearsing for a gig at Pop’s on Valentine’s day, and they will get paid – he only gets like a free milkshake but what else could he expect? He’s basically the girls’ roadie because he’s too new. Still, he likes spending time with them and not just being surrounded by jocks. He especially likes hanging out with Val who despite being only a year older seems to be wiser, and has more patience with him than anyone.

At Pop’s the place is full of couples, some young and some older, enjoying a beautiful night or remembering how they met. They planned a good setlist for that.

Moose and Midge are in one booth but seem distracted. Reggie and a girl from Greendale seem to be swallowing each others’ tongues in the corner which is disgusting and hilarious because Archie is pretty sure they had come with other dates. Veronica and Jason are cozy in one booth and behind them Kevin, Betty, and Jughead are basically showing up to support him for the two songs he’s supposed to play and sing backups to.

It’s fun, and he feels in his place.

“It takes practice, Andrews,” Josie says as they pack their things up. “And you did good tonight.”

That in Josie’s languages is a big compliment, which might be to blame for the spike in his confidence because it’s after that when he asks Val on a date on Saturday. She says yes.

Fortunately, she can drive so they don’t have to depend on his old bike. They go to Midvale for the day, stop at some music stores and end up playing their guitars near Sweetwater River, singing and having fun.

He can tell music is everything for Val, but he’s not quite sure it’s everything for him. He likes it, of course. It allows him to express himself in ways he hadn’t thought possible but he still loves football and basketball, and he also enjoys working in construction with his dad at times.

“Some people take longer to figure out their calling,” Val says. And it makes it so easy for him because there’s no pressure into being anyone he is not, or having things figured out. He’s not even sure of how he’s supposed to feel but going from making out to start removing each other’s clothes is seamless.

At times he thought it was strange talking about when he’d be ready or about making plans about losing his virginity because it ends up happening in the back of Val’s small Honda Fit where he knocks his head twice and they end up laughing together, and after they share McDonald’s fries before she drops him off.

“Thank you,” he blurts out through the passenger window, and she laughs.

“It’s okay. You have a few… hidden but obvious talents.”

They have a few more dates but nothing ever becomes serious and at some point, he wants to bring it up, but it turns out it’s too late because Val announces she’ll leave by the end of the year to pursue her dreams more seriously and spend her last year at a music academy. She’ll also join her aunt who works at a studio in LA over the summer.

Archie wonders if the news doesn’t hurt because he was expecting to be left behind, or because it was just meant to be this way.

  
  


Chemistry is definitely not his thing, but thanks to Veronica he’s really doing okay for the first time. Betty has helped him too, and now that they are just friends she can finally and freely complain about things and he can tell her everything.

Despite losing a point on his history report because of the ketchup stain Jughead left with his burger, Archie is doing great and he has no worries – well,  _ great  _ means he’s passing everything, not that he’s suddenly a straight As student.

Tina and Ginger are hanging some signs for the Spring Formal and that makes Betty huff at his side.

“Can you believe the school spends more on dances than on the school newspaper?” Betty glares at one sign.

“Don’t they get funds selling stuff and doing activities?” Archie retorts, which makes Jughead chuckle.

“He got you there. Do you think anyone would buy cupcakes to finance our office and have a coffee machine, Betts?” Jughead wraps an arm around each of his friends’ shoulders. “Or a teapot. I know you love your Earl Grey in the morning and it makes me nauseous.”

The three of them laugh.

“Hey, guys!” Veronica is suddenly in front of them in her Vixens tracksuit with a blue ribbon on her hair. “Are you going to Spring Formal?”

They hum in different ways because none of them was really planning on going. They aren’t exactly in the mood, though Archie believes he will have to because of the team and at least one of the Blue and Gold reporters will have to be there too. But they aren’t committing to it… or didn’t want to but now Veronica is asking.

“I bought tickets for you,” she adds. “I thought we haven’t spent much time together lately, and this might help.”

“You think you’ll hang out with us while surrounded by the Vixens and your boyfriend?” Jughead scoffs.

That’s exactly the problem though. The moment things with Jason became  _ official _ , Veronica’s circle changed. She’s closer to Cheryl and her minions, spends a lot of time with Jason which is understandable but she has also stopped hanging out with them – except Archie who is still her lab partner and also part of Jason’s group.

“I’m sorry,” Veronica adds, lifting her other hand to show a box of cupcakes. “ _ Please _ ?”

“Come on,” Archie intervenes, though he’s sure Jughead is at least wavering at the sight of food. “We can hang out, but Ronnie will have to do a little cheer for the Blue and Gold, maybe even sharing tips on how to get funds.”

“Archie!” Veronica complains but Betty and Jughead seem delighted by the idea Archie came up with.

“It’s a small price to pay, Ronnie.” It’s just good-natured teasing, and she knows it so she plays along.

Veronica rolls her eyes and pauses a moment before coming up with a little and classic cheering in the middle of the hallway that earns her some amused looks and two happy reporters. Archie claps with her, almost making her laugh and lose the rhythm.

Even if she’s the popular girl, unlike some others, Veronica does care about her friends, much like Archie does, which is why they get along so well.

“How about you, Archiekins? What do I have to cheer for?”

He shrugs. “Nothing. Just save me a dance.” It’s just something that comes to mind, but he’s not sure he’ll cash in on that with the team captain’s girlfriend – though Veronica refuses to call herself that. Call him old-fashioned but he likes the formality.

Her smile softens as she nods. “I’ll save you a dance.” She brushes a hand along his arm and moves away, promising to sit with them for lunch and work on the details for dress shopping with Betty.

It’s a stressful end of the year, but with friends things become easier. At least that’s what Archie thinks as his dad helps him with the bow tie, the last detail for his Spring Formal look.

“Someone we need to impress?” Fred quips as he tugs the bow and Archie blushes.

“Only everyone,” Jughead jokes from his spot on the couch. His jacket is thrown over the armchair. He looks like he just left an eighties movie with the thin tie hanging loosely around his neck and the suspenders – Fred tried to talk him out of wearing the beanie, but Jughead didn’t budge. “He’s some sort of coveted boy now that most of the Bulldogs are taken. Chuck Clayton in first place, and our dear Archibald as runner up.”

“Shut up, Jug,” Archie grumbles even if his dad only chuckles.

“Don’t worry, Fred. I’ll keep our boy away from the harlots,” Jughead adds just to be annoying.

But Archie has to admit he doesn’t want to impress anyone, even if Jughead is sort of right about the Bulldogs being mostly taken and him being one of the fews who aren’t. He only wants to have a good time.

When Betty sees them outside the gym, just after Fred drops them off, she shakes her head and snatches Jug’s beanie off without a word. Archie laughs loudly at the baffled look on his friend’s face. It’s what he deserves anyway.

The three Musketeers are going as singles, but Betty reminds Archie that their fourth musketeer is definitely not single when they see Veronica dancing in a group that includes the Blossom siblings. And probably because the three of them look in her direction at the same time she feels the weight of their gazes, and she turns around, hurrying herself to them in her royal blue dress.

“Hey, you match,” Betty says, amused when she points out Archie's bow tie and Veronica’s dress. Of course, neither of them meant it.

But Veronica brushes it off and only tells them she’s glad they came and that she hopes they have fun.

Jason whisks her away in a matter of minutes.

It feels strange for Archie to hope to have more time with her when he knows she has someone else she came with. 

Betty tugs his sleeve and they go for drinks where Ginger Lopez keeps flirting with him while Jughead encourages it. Archie only waits for a way out.

“You could’ve helped me,” Archie whispers to which Jughead cackles.

Despite thinking about not going to the dance, Betty admits to having fun with them and even drags Jughead to dance while Archie laughs because it’s the least his friend deserves for making fun of him. Being idle it’s not his thing, so he searches for Veronica but it’s then when he notices she’s nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Ronnie?” Archie asks Jason who is talking to Chuck and Reggie, laughing about something – more like making fun of Ethel and Ben who are dancing nearby, but he chooses to ignore it and just throws a pointed look at his teammates.

“Well, she’s not here, is she?” Jason seems upset by the way his mouth twists and his sardonic smile disappears.

“She’s your date. I thought–”

“ _ Was _ .” Jason sighs and places a hand over Archie’s shoulder. “Look, she’s  _ complicated _ , Andrews. Save yourself the pain.”

Archie frowns before shaking the hand off him. He doesn’t know what Jason expected from Veronica or what happened between them but he doesn’t like the tone or the look of pity Jason throws his way.

It takes him a while to go around the gym before Dilton tells him he saw her going outside.

Sure, it’s Spring already but Riverdale is a cold town. He’s not surprised when he finds her hugging herself with one arm and a cigarette in her other hand, alone as billows of smoke leave her mouth. She might be dressed like a model and her hair and makeup look flawless but she seems miserable.

“I thought you had quit,” he says quietly as he walks closer to her.

She looks over her shoulder and a little smile plays on her berry-colored lips.

“First one in ten months.” Veronica sighs and watches the cigarette burning but doesn’t take another drag.

Shrugging off his jacket, he doesn’t ask if she wants it, he just drapes it over her shoulders. When she tugs it tighter around herself, they both agree it’s just what she needed. There’s always been this easy way in which they communicate, a look or gesture and it’s enough to figure out what the other means.

“You owe me a dance,” he mutters, making her chuckle but it’s short-lived and too weak to change her melancholic mood.

“Archiekins,” she whispers, throwing the butt of the cigarette on the concrete and lifting her dress to put it out with the toe of her high heel shoes.

He doesn’t know why he does it, or how because he’s not the boldest guy out there but he offers his hand and she takes it. They can barely hear the muted sound of music coming from the gym, but Archie gives Veronica a twirl and he puts his hands on her waist to swing to the imaginary beat – she barely has time to slip his jacket on. She looks impossibly small in it.

It’s not him who pulls close, but Veronica. She winds her arms around him, and he can’t help but return the hug, letting her press her face to his shoulder while his chin rests on top of her head.

“Are you okay?” he mumbles but she doesn’t answer, just lets him feel the shake of her head.

“I have to go to New York for my dad’s trial.” She takes long breaths, trying to regain some composure, but Archie only hugs her tighter. “I don’t care if he’s guilty, I just wish he’d tell me the truth, you know? So I could forgive him because I know he’ll come back home, but how can I trust him now? I’m so tired and confused.”

There’s not a right answer, and if there is, Archie doesn’t know it.

“I’m here for you.” It’s all he says, and it seems like the right thing. She lifts her head and smiles at him right before he notices the town car driven by Smithers approaching. “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.” She stands on tiptoes and kisses his cheek softly, holding his head gently between her cold hands. She moves quickly to the car where Smithers is waiting with the door already opened.

“You still owe me a dance,” Archie says before she can get in the car, and she laughs more freely this time.

“I’ll call you when I get back.” But she never does. She gets in the car after a simple bye and the rest of the year she only shows up for finals and spends it coming and going to New York. The news of Hiram Lodge’s case is all over the press, and Archie only gets random texts from her – pictures and texts of anything but her dad, and he never asks because probably all she does is talk and think about the case.

That lasts until his birthday, the school year already over, and at the start of the sixteenth year of his life when she shows up at his doorstep in a light mini dress and big sunglasses.

Veronica pushes her shades up her hair and grins. “Happy birthday, Archiekins.”

He stands there in his faded yellow t-shirt and dark jeans, and it hits him like a ton of bricks when he feels his heart racing and his tongue refusing to work. Not only did he miss her, but he’s also been falling for her.


	2. until it ends, there is no end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter!
> 
> Don't expect me to update this quickly next time (I've been on a row) but I like the pace of the story, slowly uncovering details that will make sense in the end.
> 
> I truly hope you enjoy this :)

_ back to now _

For some reason, she asks Smithers to leave her there instead of waiting. She doesn’t know how long it’ll take because she’s still wondering what’s supposed to happen now. The one thing she does know is that she had to come here and talk to Archie because she won’t spend another sleepless night in an old Bulldogs shirt, tossing and turning trying to make sense of what happened in that stupid closet.

Veronica looks up towards the Andrews house and balls her hands, feeling her ring digging in, and as she lets out a breath opens them trying to shake off the tension.

With each step towards the front door, she starts replaying last night in her head all over again.

It was the last  _ soiree  _ thrown by Cheryl to mark the end of their high school years, so it was expected to be epic. Their whole futures are waiting for them after the summer, and she wanted nothing more than to enjoy her time with her friends before she has to pack her things and leave all of this behind.

_ For old time’s sake _ , said Cheryl as she placed the infamous soda bottle on the coffee table.

It seemed so innocent at first. Stupid, even. Hilarious when Jughead spun it and landed on Cheryl like destiny wanted to mock them both, so badly that even Betty cackled.

The second step leading to the porch creaks under her weight because it always does, since she can remember coming to visit Archie – all those afternoons he offered refuge when she didn’t want to face her father, the movie nights, the all-nighters trying to get him to pass algebra and the sneaking in when he got drunk after winning the championship.

The bottle spun until it pointed towards the boy with an undone bowtie, the first two buttons of his shirt opened and drinking a beer while perched on the arm of the couch. And even if his smile trembled, she laughed it up. How much could kissing one of her friends hurt? It was innocent. 

She never expected her world to be turned upside down when she was pushed into a closet with Archie, but that click of the door being shut behind them sealed the night.

_ Seven minutes in heaven _ .

The doorbell rings and she thinks for a second about turning around and leaving – maybe she should try a few more times to text Archie and ask…  _ what are you supposed to ask when your alleged best friend kisses you like his soul was consuming them? _ She can still feel the burn in her lungs as she was rendered breathless when he pressed his forehead to hers and sweetly called her  _ Ronnie _ like only Archie could.

She takes a step back, out of the welcome mat, but it’s too late.

“Veronica, hi,” Fred Andrews greets her in that friendly and fatherly tone that always made her feel welcome into their home. “Arch is making breakfast. Come in.”

“Hello, Fred. I should wait–”

“Come on,” he insists because in the last three years she’s been here too often to now pretend to be just a guest.

Vegas rubs against her legs and she pats the dog’s head before shutting the door behind her.

Things seem the same as yesterday, then why is she self-conscious all of the sudden?

“Arch, someone is looking for you,” Fred says and moves to the side to allow her to see Archie for the first time since he ran away from her last night, in loose shorts and long socks bunched around his ankles, the forest green t-shirt makes his red hair look brighter.

“Hi,” she mutters and for a moment she’s scared he won’t say anything back but he says hi too.

Maybe he’s surprised to see her, like most of the times she showed up unannounced, but she wished he had the same smile of when she arrived for his sixteenth birthday.

  
  


_ junior year _

The first thing she notices is his fresh haircut but that he hasn’t shaved, at least not today. He’s such a cute boy for a sixteen-year-old boy – not an ounce of disgusting comments or misogynistic views. And always with the beautiful smile that can lift her spirits up in a minute.

Veronica’s so glad to be back and have decided to visit him first.

She hugs him and gives him a Gary Clark Jr. vinyl record – because he started his collection the previous year when his dad bought him the record player and some old rock records. She doesn’t get much about this newfound passion, but he’s excited about it.

“Guess what?” Archie says as he leads her to the garage, making her laugh when he almost trips on the way out of the house. “My dad gave me a car!”

And it’s true. The first thing she sees in the garage is a big old muscle car, but the thing seems half put together as some parts litter the ground and around them flock Betty, Jughead, Reggie, and Fred.

Her expression must give her away because Archie chuckles.

“It’ll take a bit of work, but it’ll be beautiful once we finish it.”

There have been times she feels like a fish out of water in Riverdale, but never as bad as she does now that everyone is handling tools and talking about pieces of cars – she only knows the basics and this is too much for her. Hopefully, the Pontiac Firebird in a washed-out blue will see better days from now on.

Archie offers her a patio chair and cold lemonade, and she’d like to say she’s having a good time but this reminds her why she feels so out of place at times.

She’s tempted about telling she needs to be somewhere else, to have an excuse but then Fred announces he’ll make some burgers to have lunch, and Betty says she baked a cake for dessert, and it’s all good even if Reggie asks Betty if she has thought about baking edibles and she smacks him across the chest.

They sing happy birthday for Archie, and Veronica stains her dress with raspberry jam which is why she ends up in one of Betty’s denim skirts and Archie’s old Bulldogs shirt that she ties around her waist, while her dress is in the washer.

Playing charades is apparently some sort of tradition, so Veronica teams up with Fred, and they of course kick ass because who knew? Mr. Andrews is some sort of film-buff and he has excellent taste.

She laughs next to Archie, both almost breathless when Betty stomps her foot once more, frustrated with Reggie when he cannot guess  _ Pretty Woman _ .

“I’m sorry if this is not your kind of celebration,” Archie says as they clean the coffee table of snacks and crumbs and the pieces of papers with movie, actor, and show names.

Veronica smiles. “I had more fun than I’d had in a very long time.” It’s true, of course. Her home is filled with tension, not only because her father is about to return but also because the case has brought up to the surface the shady business in which her family has been involved. The so-called friends they had in NYC are nowhere to be seen, and her mother spends her time with one lawyer after the next.

Some old 60’s music plays in the background while Jughead and Betty wash the dishes and Fred cleans the grill.

This must be what being a normal teen feels like.

“You can come whenever you need it then,” Archie quips.

“You better mean that, Archiekins.” Veronica stares at his warm light brown eyes and his smile turns bigger.

“I’ll be here, Ronnie.”

  
  


Spending her summer in Riverdale instead of some foreign country is bizarre. Long forgotten are black-tie parties and instead, she spends her time in the back of Fred Andrews’ truck on the Fourth of July with Archie, Betty, and Jughead, eating hot dogs for the probably second time in her life which earns her some teasing. They watch the fireworks and buy ice cream and it’s so innocent she feels she’s dreaming.

Days go by going to swim in some disgusting swimming hole that she soon learns to be fond of and at nights they have fun at the Twilight Drive-In.

She has sleepovers at Betty’s when they usually try to call Kevin who is spending time with his parents on a road trip, camping and basically being survivalists in the middle of nowhere.

“I only have you and show tunes,” Kevin jokes, but it’s the truth. They laugh and let him know the latest gossip in town though he knows much more than they do for some reason.

Veronica has delicious breakfasts with the Coopers and then leaves to spend her afternoons with the Andrews, helping with the car and listening to Fred’s old stories over lunch. She doesn’t help much though, only having learned the name of tools and passing them over, but her idea is to avoid her home as much as humanly possible.

“Ronnie,” Archie whispers as they lay in the backyard, having eaten too many s’mores and feeling a little sick of mixing it with the one beer Fred allowed them each to have. “Maybe you should stay over. It’s late.”

She closes her eyes and smiles.

She’d love to. It’d be nice to wake up to the smell of breakfast and have a talk about the dog or neighborhood instead of waking up and hearing about bailouts or witnesses and lawyers.

“I can’t.” And it’s not because she couldn’t get away with it but because she does feel guilty about leaving her mom with all the burden of her father’s case and the plans for their future in case anything happens. The least she can do is go home at night and put some peace of mind that she’s not a wild child again, that she’s not another concern to have at the moment.

Archie’s hand reaches for hers and squeezes it gently, and for some reason, her stomach flip flops and she blames it on the s’mores.

“I have to go, Archiekins. Thank you for everything, once again.”

When she’s in the car, she opens her bag to pop a piece of cinnamon gum in her mouth and Smithers asks if she’s nervous about something. She only shakes her head.

  
  


“Where are you going, _mija_?” Hermione sees her from above the frame of her glasses as she sits behind a laptop with a glass of red wine at her left. And she doesn’t sound mad about it, just tired. “I barely see you around the house lately.”

In her short black dress and the Balmain platform sandals, she’s wishing to feel for a night like she’s free, but the guilt suddenly creeps in and she feels meek at the sight of her mother’s eyes on her. She’d love for things to be like at the beginning when they could spend a night watching movies in their silk pajamas or go for a spa day together. Now all they feel is the shadow of Hiram upon them, waiting for something to happen. How could someone who claims to care for them cause this much pain? 

“I’m going to Pop’s. With my friends.” It’s the truth. The Pussycats are having a gig there and Archie will be playing – he’s been filling Val’s place for now but he wants out since they are a girl band and he’s not one. Josie couldn’t convince him but Veronica did. A little coercing, promising she’d sing with him at least once before the summer ends. They haven’t agreed what they’ll sing but she’ll keep her promise.

“With Archie?” And there’s the little smile her mother gives her whenever she mentions him.

“We are just friends, mom,” Veronica says, rolling her eyes.

Hermione makes a humming sound of agreement that implies she doesn’t believe her. She always lets her go out if Archie is going because he was raised to be a good and respectful boy – her words.

“Don’t be too late.”

Veronica smiles and approaches her mom to kiss her cheek. “I won’t.”

It’s at that moment when she notices the screen her mother is watching. She’d recognize the bottle anywhere because it’s her dad’s favorite. A bottle of Cristal from a gourmet site that her mom has apparently added to the shopping cart.

“Are we celebrating something I forgot?” Veronica can’t remember the last time they spent that much on anything, because since her father got arrested his accounts were frozen and they are living with the few things on her mom’s name which wasn’t much to begin with. She hasn’t complained about it because they are making the most of it, but this is suspicious.

Hermione’s back tenses and she pushes her glasses up her nose.

“Your father is coming back.”

Now Veronica feels dread for some reason. Her stomach drops and there’s the way she feels the thin hairs at the back of her neck rise.

“What? I thought the trial wasn’t until–”

“He’ll be on bail.” Hermione keeps working on the computer, pretending nothing has happened and ignoring the questions she knows are coming.

“I thought we couldn’t afford it?” Veronica insists because that was the reason he had been gone for almost a year and now suddenly there’s money coming from somewhere?

“He… cashed in on some favors,” Hermione replies vaguely before waving her hand. “Now is not the time to worry,  _ mija _ . Go with your friends.”

“Mom–”

“Go.” And there’s determination in Hermione’s tone but it’s also a plea. Maybe she’s asking Veronica to enjoy the time with her friends or maybe she doesn’t want to think about the trouble they’ve gone through, but it’s clear she doesn’t wish to talk about it.

They have no idea what will happen when Hiram returns, after falling from grace and having most of his properties confiscated. He’s not the tycoon he used to be and now his image is tainted – before there were just rumors but now everyone has proof.

His return will make everything real. Until now Veronica has been able to pretend her troubles are nothing more than an anecdote, but now her father will be there. Knowing him the way she does, he won’t stay idle either. His craving for power and fortune won’t allow him to sit on his hands waiting for his future to be decided, even if Veronica wishes he did. And worst of all, she still doubts him, he has still hidden the truth from her.

Clenching her teeth, Veronica takes her bag and leaves, not caring much about slamming the door or actually keeping her word about arriving early. Why should she care about keeping her word when her family keeps hiding secrets from her?

  
  


She claps and laughs as the Pussycats finish their set, even when she sees Archie ducking his head to hide his blushing cheeks. Once again he flees from the stage as soon as they finish playing because he’s a guest and only there so they can keep having their shows. Or so he says.

“That was great, Archie,” Betty praises as he slides next to Veronica in the booth, already having ordered a milkshake and stealing two fries from Veronica’s plate. She doesn’t bother to scold him because she really doesn’t care even when Jughead glares at her – moments before he tried the same move and she swatted his hands away.

“Yes. It’s more upbeat than your usual songs.” Jughead ignores Archie’s sorrowful look, but he can’t do the same with Veronica’s and Betty’s glares. “What? He’s kind of depressive.  _ Ouch!” _

If Veronica kicks his shin under the table it’s because he deserves it. One thing is using his sarcasm, and another is directing those comments to the boy who still shakes in his Converse whenever he steps on the stage.

“I believe he’s just a sensitive musician and that’s expected.” Veronica nudges Archie to get a smile from him and he does. His cheeks turn pink again just like every time he gets compliments.

Archie has a burger courtesy of Josie which is basically his cut for the night.

They keep on talking and joking as the crowd starts dwindling down while the staff starts cleaning Pop’s and the kitchen announces it’s closing.

Veronica is discussing Doctor Zhivago, her summer reading of the moment, and Jughead is making comments which are becoming increasingly upsetting for some reason – he hasn’t read the book but he’s such a literary snob he thinks he knows everything.

At one point Archie returns with his guitar in hand and starts strumming some notes effectively interrupting them.

“Come on, I thought I was the depressing one,” he quips, making Veronica smile and improving her mood as he hums to the melody he’s playing.

“Sing me a song,” Veronica demands in an attempt to both shut Jughead up and just because she’s still the girl used to have things go her way. She might have grown this year but that doesn’t mean she’s a different person.

Archie sighs, a little knowing smile on his face as he starts playing. She recognizes the song as the first words leave his mouth in this impromptu acoustic rendition of  _ All through the night _ . His voice wrapped in the dulcet notes of his guitar filling the mostly empty diner. She can’t help but join him when he reaches the chorus.

_ We have no past, we won't reach back _

_ Keep with me forward all through the night _

_ And once we start, the meter clicks _

_ And it goes running all through the night _

_ Until it ends, there is no end _

It feels weirdly intimate, more so when Archie stares into her eyes. But their voices mix so well, it’s difficult not to get roped into it.

With the last note still ringing in the air, Pop approaches them, apologizes for interrupting – as if the diner wasn’t his – and tells them he’s closing.

Jughead has his motorcycle waiting for him outside – a gift from Jughead’s father on his son’s sixteenth birthday. The only nice thing FP has done for his son in the last five years, according to Archie.

Next to the bike, Fred Andrews’ truck is parked ready to roam the well-known Riverdale streets.

“Did you call Smithers?” Betty asks while Archie fishes for the truck’s key in the pocket of his jeans.

Veronica would love to be able to lie but she won’t. She doesn’t want to go home tonight and face her mother. Do they still believe her to be a child when it comes to knowing the truth but mature enough to make her testify about her father’s character in court?

“No.” She shakes her head and feels Archie looking at her for a few seconds, reading her. There’s a hint in his expression when he figures it out, and she doesn’t need to say more.

“Hop on. I’ll take you,” he offers.

Jughead’s bike roars away towards the Southside while Veronica sits between Archie and Betty listening to the old rock station Fred has tuned in permanently because if you mess with the knob, the radio will break again. It takes hours to fix and Archie has enough with his own car.

They drop Betty off and she runs as quickly as she can because she’s past curfew, and while her dad will be totally okay knowing his daughter was safe with her friends, Alice won’t be that cool about it.

Archie turns the engine off but doesn’t take the keys out. He leans forward, both forearms on the steering wheel.

“You can have my bed and I’ll sleep on the couch,” he doesn’t look at her but she sees he’s blushing again.

“Thank you.”

They don’t move for a couple of minutes until Archie turns his face and presses his cheek on his arms over the wheel. He smiles and chuckles in a way that makes her laugh. It’s easy and there’s no reason, but her heart feels a bit lighter thanks to it.

“C’mon, Ronnie.”

Fred is on the couch, in front of his old TV set with an empty bowl with chip crumbs and a bottle of beer on a coaster of a beer brand that doesn’t match the one on the label of the bottle.

“Goodnight, Mr. Andrews.” Veronica greets sheepishly, standing in the foyer, but she feels welcomed as soon as Fred smiles. The TV casts silver light on his face that makes him look paler than usual.

“You can call me Fred, Veronica.” He sits upright, in time to see Archie standing next to her with wide eyes and blushing.

“ _ Um _ , Ronnie is staying over.” Archie is not asking for permission, but he’s not trying to challenge his father’s authority either. Besides being father and son, they are friends. Veronica has learned they’ve been just the two of them for a few years now, and Fred might have tried a friendlier approach to deal with a teenage son without much trouble.

“She is?” Fred’s eyes travel from Archie to Veronica, and his eyebrows go up in a silent question. “Does your mother know?”

“She–” It’d be so easy to lie. She was always good at it. It’s a skill she cultivated from a young age to get away with anything. How many times did she blame the maid or her sitter for broken things or stains on the carpet? She accused her mother’s personal assistant of stealing when she took a pair of emerald earrings and lost one at a party at the St James’s. “She doesn’t.” But she’s not that girl anymore. If she wishes to be told the truth, maybe she should start saying it too.

“Veronica–”

“I can leave. I don’t want to be a nuisance.” But as she attempts to turn around, Archie’s hand curls around her wrist to stop her.

“Dad,” he pleads.

Fred seems to study them, his gaze lingering on her and she realizes there’s much from him that Archie has inherited. He tries to read her, before sighing and giving up. “I’ll call Hermione to let her know you’re here.”

He stands up, taking his phone from the coffee table and moving towards the kitchen for privacy that’s really not necessary. If Veronica knows her mother well, Hermione will pretend everything is under control and there’s nothing to worry about. After all, pretending is one of their favorite activities.

So much for plotting some sort of revenge against the secrets her mother keeps from her.

Veronica sighs. “I didn’t mean to cause you trouble, Archie.”

He’s standing right next to her, but with his head turned towards his father until she speaks.

“There’s no trouble, Ronnie,” he replies quickly, his lips quirking up to reassure her. “I hope your mom has no problems with you staying over.”

Veronica lets out a snort and rolls her eyes. “I’ll let you in on a secret, Archiekins,” she tells him in a conspiratorial voice, almost feeling like a cartoonish villain. “Your dad and my mom dated in high school, and she has the highest opinion about him, which might be why she likes you too.”

Archie’s face scrunches up in childish disgust, like a young kid being told about kissing, which makes her laugh loudly.

Soon Fred returns to announce Veronica can stay over the night, setting some ground rules in a way only Fred Andrews can set them by saying, “I’ll bring the blankets for Archie to settle on the couch.”

It’s not like she hasn’t been in his bedroom before, because she’s spent a lot of time with him over the summer, but being here at night is just different. Certainly more so when he hands her a washed-out gray Pearl Jam t-shirt for her to sleep in, and rummages the bathroom cabinets for a brand new toothbrush she can use.

Changing her clothes for a cotton shirt in this bathroom feels a bit strange, like prying into the world of Archie Andrews and all his secrets in a much different way. It’s a small room, clean and tidy – but her curiosity gets the best of her and besides his deodorant, the shampoo and conditioner 2-in-1, the cologne and hair gel, she finds an opened box of condoms half-hidden behind foot powder and some band-aids.

Her face heats up because she knows Archie must be sexually active. She’s heard the Vixens talking about him and how  _ hot _ he is, she knows he’s dated a few girls, and she’s seen him. It’s different to have a confirmation of his activities, wondering if this blushing boy is shy or maybe he has some kinks. Veronica giggles to herself before pushing everything back into place.

Her green toothbrush joins the blue one in the holder before she steps out of the bathroom.

Tiptoeing her way to the bedroom she sees a half-naked Archie trying to take Vegas out of his spot next to the bed.

“It’s okay.”

Archie turns around, startled. For a second, he takes in her image in the shirt with her exposed legs, and it’s hard to blame him because they are teenagers. She also steals a look at his chiseled chest, because it’s _right_ _there_. 

He clears his throat mostly for him because she doubts he catches her looking. “Vegas snores a bit, I don’t want him to bother you, besides he’ll scratch the door in the morning when he hears my dad.”

“I don’t mind. I have trouble sleeping without noise.” She smiles. “City girl.” It’s not really a lie- The eerie silence in Riverdale at night creeps her out.

“Are you sure?” Archie asks again, and she only nods. “Okay. Have a good night.”

He moves around her to leave, give her privacy and let her rest, closing the door behind him but not before repeating that if she needs anything he’ll be downstairs. But she only wishes him a good night and chuckles as she sends him away.

The sheets aren’t nearly as soft as the ones on her bed, and he only has one pillow that smells like Head and Shoulders, aftershave, and detergent – she makes the mental note of perhaps giving him some tips about a better hair care routine. But she also inhales deeply and wraps the comforter around her because this is as close as feeling a good Archie hug without Archie actually being there.

Vega’s dark round eyes blink at her, from his position curled up next to the bed before she turns the lights off. 

“Good night, boy.”

  
  


Kevin returns from his encounter with nature just in time for some shopping before the beginning of the school year, and it’s incredibly fun despite them going to a mall. But there’s a first time for everything, right? Even if Veronica shrieks each time she sees small kids with icecreams going near her. They seem to have more food over their hands and face than what they get in their mouths.

Once they meet Betty, they head to the bookstore. Both girls enjoy their time going through the shelves, picking up some light reading, and sharing thoughts about some novels. Meanwhile, Kevin complains until he finds a subject that interests him more, and starts flirting with a boy in the history section. At least he gets a phone number out of it, or they would’ve never heard the end of it.

As Veronica sips on her skinny vanilla latte with almond milk, she spots a lovely burgundy skirt at one store. Despite knowing it’s not the best quality, Veronica is aware she can make it work. Her  _ abuelita _ says it’s not the clothes that make the woman, and it’s true. The designer clothes are nice, but they only look great because she’s wearing them. So she buys it.

They convince Betty to pick a slightly darker shade of pink lipstick, and it’s an accomplishment that makes her green eyes look brighter. After all, she’s been focusing so much on her portfolio for college that she has lost time making friends and living the life of a teenager.

“We only have one shot at high school, B,” Veronica complains. “We should make it count.”

“I’ll make it count.” Kevin's suggestive tone gives away what they already know – he’s been texting Mr. Byzantine Art since he left the bookstore. Veronica would love to say she sees potential there, the truth is the guy looks like Kevin will chew him out and spit it out. But she’ll keep the thoughts to herself, and let him have fun now that he’s back from the wilderness. “Maybe for once I’ll have a date to the Blossom’s end of the summer  _ soiree _ , in other words, a pool party.”

Betty toys with the mascaras in front of her, avoiding the topic.

“I have picked a gorgeous navy blue two-piece. It’s high-waisted and the top has a ruffled one-shoulder neckline that gives it a lovely vintage vibe,” Veronica comments before linking her arm with Betty’s to get her attention. “What have you chosen, B?”

“I don’t think–”

“Oh, you’re going,” Kevin interrupts before Veronica can say the same. “You’re not spending another night hiding in the Register’s office, sniffing ink scent, or hoping for some gruesome crime to take place so you can star the teenage spinoff of Murder She Wrote.”

Veronica is more gentle. “We could find an outfit you feel comfortable in?”

  
  


Watching Archie and Reggie doing some sort of synchronized cannonball into the pool is not what Veronica would’ve expected for Cheryl’s party. And by the shrieking sound she makes when they happen to splash her, she didn’t expect it either.

But the boys laugh, and the music is blaring through some sort of sound system that against all odds, Dilton Doiley has set up as he and some pink-haired girl officiate as DJs. Alcohol is flowing too, and if the smell near Cheryl’s grandma’s competition-winning rose bushes is any indication, there’s also some pot.

Betty is almost attached to Veronica while sipping her pink lemonade, and even if it’s nice of her to be around, Veronica is not here to babysit her.

“Don’t you want to  _ mingle _ ?” Veronica tries in the most polite way she can.

“Kevin is busy,” she says instead, and it’s a bit annoying. There are people outside her bubble but she refuses to let them in and instead forces herself to socialize with the same four people all the time.

Veronica would say something, but she doesn’t want to be upset or make Betty feel bad – it’s not the time for lectures.

Fortunately, fate works in her favor. Or better said, Reggie does.

“Hey, Lil’ Coop,” Reggie interrupts, grabbing Betty by the hand and twirling her around without a warning. Her lemonade splashes him, but he doesn’t care – after all he’s still wet from the pool. “You played ping pong in middle school, right?”

“What? Yes, but why–” Betty’s eyes widen as Reggie leads her away from Veronica, not quite knowing what to do with this friendly approach. And even if her gaze seems to beg for Veronica’s assistance, Veronica is not so sure she should intervene.

“Awesome, come on. You’re my beer pong partner.” Reggie passes by one of the Bulldogs and pries the beer from their hands, not caring about a thing before taking a swig. “The Bull Marino says he can win, playing with Heather. And there’s no way.”

“Danny?”

“Yeah, the guy from the wrestling team. Do you know him?” Reggie keeps talking as they weave through the crowd.

“I tutor him in algebra. Reggie, he’s twice your size and he’s known to have a temper, besides I don’t drink.”

“I’ll do the drinking, you do the dunking.”

Veronica laughs. It seems like she can now do some mingling of her own. She’s soon sitting next to Cheryl discussing the possible options for new Vixens and how they can prepare for competitions this year. Cheryl is convinced they lost last year because of the lack of ambition, which translated into poor preparation and physical condition. But the truth is they just weren’t in it, and Veronica is sure of it because her head was half the time thinking about trials and how her so-called old friends had bailed on her as soon as her father was imprisoned.

“And you think this is only because adolescence got in the way?” Cheryl arches an eyebrow, looking unimpressed.

“I do. Besides, how would you prove competitiveness? A fencing duel?” Veronica quips. She didn’t miss the swords and weapons adorning Thistle House’s walls, as if it were a long-lost relative from a medieval castle.

“No. Regretfully we’re dealing with teenagers, untrained and weak.” She stands up from the lounge chair she’s currently using and pops one hip to rest a hand while she snaps her fingers with the other. “Marmaduke!”

Moose Mason is in the pool, and even if he rolls his eyes at Cheryl’s demand, he pulls himself out of the water. The gossip mill says they’ve been hooking up over the summer, though Veronica has no proof. Cheryl has never had an official partner, and Moose dated Midge but the truth is they had a very open relationship according to Kevin.

“I won’t bring you a drink, Cheryl. I’m not your butler,” Moose complains, ready to turn away and leave. But Cheryl purses her lips, crossing her arms over her chest, an action that attracts Moose’s gaze even if briefly.

“I won’t ask again, because you couldn’t follow simple instructions about ice cubes. But I do have a proposition for which I need the knuckleheads from the football team.”

Moose smirks and snorts a laugh. “I’m not the captain this year,  _ Cher _ . And since football season hasn’t begun we have no one in charge yet, but everything points out to Chuck. Ask him.” He points out to Chuck Clayton who is happily basking in the attention Ginger and Tina are giving him.

Veronica is not blind, and even if she were, she’d still be able to tell Chuck Clayton is in fact a very attractive boy. There aren’t only the muscular frame and the handsome face, but a soothing voice, a charming smile, and a go-getter attitude. While being the son of the football coach might have granted him a spot on the team, that didn’t necessarily translate into having the support from the guys, the excellent academic record, and the casanova reputation – all things he took pride in.

After Cheryl begrudgingly moves and makes an effort to get what she wants, Veronica learns the plan to test the Vixen competitive spirit is a game of chicken fight in the pool.

“Are you kidding?” Veronica mutters as she watches more than half of the bulldogs standing in line near the pool like cattle on sale as Cheryl inspects them. She can’t help but chuckle.

“You’re questioning a girl who likes to play spin the bottle to wreak havoc,” Jughead comments on passing, and he freezes when Cheryl calls his name to scold him. He pretends she’s choosing him as her battle horse and replies, “I’m honored,  _ mademoiselle _ , but my legs would put the chicken into chicken fight.” __

Most of the group chuckles, but Cheryl stomps her foot and orders him to leave. “I don’t know how you even got invited here!”

“But I’m the official sports reporter, Cher,” Jughead pretends to feel offended, though he finds a spot near the pool to sit and witness the mayhem. “Who but I can leave this written for posterity.” He makes a gesture with his hand as if he could visualize a headline. “Cheryl Blossom, chicken fight queen.”

He earns himself more glares, but Cheryl ignores him and sends him to shut up. Veronica shakes her head when he smiles, happy to get a rise from Cheryl.

The made-up rules say Cheryl chooses first because she’s captain, and she picks Moose because from a tactic point he is the strongest of the boys.

As the co-captain, Veronica has to pick next. She’d love to be flirty and pick one of the other boys but for some reason when she hears one of the vixens behind her saying something about getting Archie between their legs, she feels strangely overprotective. Besides this is his year to shine – he’ll finally be the starting quarterback. Also, if there’s one thing she’s sure about is that he’d never let her fall, so if this comes down to competition she’ll have a great partner.

“Archiekins, come on, you’re with me.”

Jughead taunts them. “ _ Woohoo _ ! Go, team Varchie!”

What everyone believes it’s a fun and friendly game turns into some sort of blood bath. Luckily for Veronica, her choice of partner was right. Not only Archie makes sure to keep her safe, but he’s also fast and their communication is great. They almost lose balance when Cheryl pushes Ginger off Chuck’s shoulders but that’s nothing compared to the kick to the chest that Steve gets from Cheryl, making him fall backward with Midge still on his shoulders.

“Ooh, this is Riverdale!” Jughead shouts in his best Gerard Butler’s Leonidas impersonation.

“Ronnie,” Archie looks up at Veronica, his hands holding her thighs and keeping her firm on his shoulders. By now it’s them and Cheryl with Moose.

“We need to end this,” Veronica says on the verge of laughing because this is ludicrous, and by the little smile on Archie’s face, he thinks the same. “Think you can hold your breath for me?”

It’s silly, and just to put an end to this nonsense. When Veronica takes Cheryl’s arms, instead of tugging or pushing, she gives Archie a little tap on his side with her foot, and without much of a warning, he takes a deep breath and Archie sinks down in the water taking Veronica. With their combined strength they pull Cheryl off Moose’s shoulders and into the water. Nevertheless, no one ends up dry.

“Long live Queen V,” Jughead quips as everyone makes it out of the pool, and Veronica cackles. “And her king, Archiekins.” Archie laughs, shoving Jughead away but his cheeks turn pink in embarrassment.

“You have no future as a sports reporter,” Veronica says.

“What a relief!” Jughead manages to say right before Cheryl shoves him into the pool.

  
  


The summer ends and Veronica already feels a little nostalgic about it. She has big things to worry like college and the return of her father, which has been kept a secret. Her mother thinks the less she knows the better, but Veronica is not a child. Being able to make her own decisions would be nice, at least for once.

“Hey.”

The voice doesn’t surprise her, but the smile she immediately feels forming in her face does. At least a bit. She doesn’t have many people in her life who can make her feel happy, and Archie is certainly in that selected group of individuals.

“Not a proper greeting, Archibald,” Veronica scolds, but she still closes her locker and turns around to see his winsome smile and the bashful demeanor, even in his varsity jacket.

“Good morning, Ronnie,” he manages in a soft voice with a small tilt of his head, that elicits a strange feeling at her chest.

“Good morning,” she replies, half chuckling to hide whatever she feels. “Looks like someone’s feeling happy this morning. What’s going on?”

He’s basically beaming when he shows her a keychain with an A. “My car is working!”

“Congratulations!” Veronica is truly happy for him. The car took two months to be repaired but with everyone’s help, he’s now almost an independent man – though he’s a boy in most of the other aspects of his life. “Now you’ll be able to take me places instead of stealing Smithers from my mom whenever we want to go for anything other than burgers.”

He chuckles. “We can go to that place with the brunches you like in Midvale one Saturday.”

“Are you inviting me?” She doesn’t mean to sound as flirty as she does, but it’s just friendly banter, she guesses.

“Maybe,” he replies, laughing. 

It’s a good way to start her day, even if he leaves soon enough because today they are also having tryouts for the football team, and he wants to be ready. This makes her think about how she’ll need to buy the protein bars again because he’ll surely need them even more than last year.

The Vixens are also searching for candidates, so Cheryl is obviously holding some sort of competition for the spots available. Whoever dares to participate should be praised for their bravery to face Cheryl but in the end, Veronica thinks they are pretty good, especially the pink-haired girl from the party. She’s called Toni and is friends with Jughead, which of course Veronica doesn’t mention, otherwise, Cheryl would say no immediately. But she had the best response when Cheryl asked why she’s applying.

“The truth is I can be in any extracurriculars, but I’d like to win. I don’t think anything looks better than winning in a college application.”

Cheryl’s smile is almost as big as when she’s planning mischief.

But even if her day at school goes great, and Archie texts her that it’s official he’ll be the varsity quarterback, by the end of it everything becomes gloomier.

Smithers waits for her outside the school in the town car, but before she can be close enough for him to open the door she can tell something is off. There’s no trace of a smile and his gentle face is marked by worry lines. When he does open the door, she can see why.

Her father’s figure in the dark suit is not something she planned on meeting today. His perfect smile and the deep voice are still the same as if he hadn’t been in prison for the last year.

“Hello,  _ mija _ ,” he says, holding a bouquet of flowers in white and lavender tones. “Don’t you greet your father?”

“Daddy,” she says, still unable to move. Her gaze turns to Smithers but he can’t do much. Everyone’s been dragged into this without their consent so why had she expected it’d be different now?

“Aren’t you happy to see me,  _ palomita _ ?”

She’s not sure how she’s supposed to answer that, so the best she can do is get in the car and take the flowers. “These are lovely, Daddy.”

  
  


It’s quite unnerving to see how the peaceful and warm place her mom had built in the Pembrooke slowly falls under the shadows of her father’s presence. Veronica had never before noticed it, but the tension at home makes it feel much less welcoming than just a few weeks earlier.

They are constantly supervised, there’s secrecy about Hiram’s activities, and lawyers are still calling at dinner time. It’s just like before they left New York when every step she took was studied and questioned.

Hermione has lost her candid demeanor and forgotten the mundane questions she greeted Veronica with after school – how was practice? Too much homework? It was the closest thing to motherly nature she had ever received. But now she seemed to only follow Hiram’s advice. She was now usually holding a glass of wine and her lips were pursed into a tight line. It made Veronica wonder why if she seemed so miserable had her mother welcomed Hiram back?

“Are you okay?” is now Archie’s go-to greeting as they meet in the student’s lounge. He’s one of the few who know of the return of her father by her own decision. The rest gossip about it like it’s the most entertaining piece of news and not her miserable life.

She rolls her eyes because pity is the last thing she wants. But Archie is holding a cup of coffee for her from the only decent place in Riverdale that she knows it’s out of his way, a small bakery that makes lovely eclairs too.

“You have to stop feeding me sweets, Archie.” Veronica takes the coffee but pushes the  _ pain au chocolat  _ back to him.

He’s been trying to comfort her the best way he can, and that means spoiling her to no end. If he had the resources of Hiram, Veronica’s sure Archie would put her father to shame in the way he’d shower her with gifts. But better than that, and something her father could never do, Archie listens to her and tries to come with solutions.

“It’s been two weeks and he hasn’t dared to apologize yet,” Veronica mutters in between sips. “Not even explain what happened. Don’t you think I’m allowed to demand at least that? I’m his daughter. I looked up to him! And now I don’t know whether to hide in shame or seethe with anger at a false accusation.” She sighs, mindlessly toying with the pearls adorning her neck – one of the last gifts her father gave her before everything started to crumble. “I don’t know who he is anymore.”

It might be the way her voice turns softer or how vulnerable she feels, but Archie pulls her to his side in a sideways hug.

“Maybe you should bring it up. Tell him what’s upsetting you.”

As well-intentioned as his thought might be, Archie has no idea how her father would react.

“Maybe,” she says instead while her mind is already planning ways in which to escape her new reality.

  
  


By the second game of the season and the second win, there’s a big party at Reggie’s house. His parents are away and he’s stupid enough to think he’ll be able to keep things under control. Well, he can’t.

The problem is neither does Veronica. Old habits creep in after weeks of tension at home and she’s about to burst in the worst possible way, so she steals the bottle of whiskey clearly hidden in Reggie’s father’s home office and indulges in the joint Steve hands her over. She doesn’t want to care anymore, and reality keeps chasing her no matter how good she tries to be.

Just that morning Hiram kept praising her for keeping such a good image, and how they would need to be outstanding citizens to keep the Lodge name as renowned as always. But she’d teach her father you don’t always get what you want – just like she hadn’t. Why did she have to care about keeping his image if he didn’t have the same deference when he destroyed hers?

At one point she hazily remembers Archie trying to steer her away from the party, to get some air or take her home, but she knows she was rude to him. She might not recollect the exact words she said, but his face was filled with pain.

This was what she did. Sure, she was a tornado of fun who could take up New York City, but she always left destruction behind.

She ends up making out with Chuck, and it’s fun and hot, enough to distract her and make her stop drinking. But she’s not in the best shape and fortunately, Cheryl catches her before she can make more of a disaster.

On Sunday she’s at church with her family, pretending they are a perfect example and on Monday Archie is nowhere to be seen in the student lounge.

It makes her sick to her stomach to realize she’s falling into old habits. She won’t let her father’s presence take the good things she’s been granted over the past year. So after the Vixen’s practice, she waits for Archie by his car. The blue Firebird is such a bright beacon in the otherwise gray parking lot, much like its owner.

“Hey, V.” Chuck swaggers his way to her and she’s kind of expecting a crude remark about last weekend’s party and how it was fun, but instead he smiles in an honest way. “I know the other day was about fun and… a one-time thing. But I was wondering if you’d like to catch a movie with me. There’s a 70’s special screening at the Twilight.”

She has no reason to say no to him, besides he’s handsome and smart – and yes, she might have a type because he is in fact arrogant but that’s because he knows his worth. Would it be so bad to get to know him? She needs to keep her mind at ease, worrying about teenage stuff instead of spiraling down with things she can’t control.

So she says yes to the invitation, but no to his offer of driving her home.

Just as Chuck’s leaving the parking lot, Archie finds her by his car, and before he can get a word out she apologizes.

“You’re my best friend,” she says and for a split second, she thinks he looks more hurt than before. “I can’t lose you and I’m sorry for what I said. So how about letting me buy you some fries and a milkshake? You’ll have to take us, though.”

He laughs, and there’s that lopsided adorable smile on his face as he nods.

  
  


For the next couple of months, Hiram pretends to be the best citizen Riverdale has ever seen – a clear attempt to clean his image. They become church-goers, even if the last time Hiram stepped in a church was probably for her first communion, and just to please  _ abuelita _ .

In those plans, Veronica becomes a key player. She’s not only one of the best students in Riverdale high, but also co-captain of the cheerleading squad and the girlfriend of the football team’s captain which pleases Hiram to no end, even more so when in passing he hears Kevin dramatically saying that the Claytons would be the closest to Kennedys in this small town – which is a gross exaggeration. But his father invites them over for dinner, and they gloat on their success.

Veronica doesn’t want to overthink her decision because she has fun with Chuck. He’s not exactly the most supportive boyfriend because his first priority is still himself, but she’s not thinking long-term about him. In some twisted sense, he has bought her peace of mind. Her father has left her alone and whatever his plans were, he seems less worried about them.

And when her parents tell her they’ll go watch her cheering at the regionals’ game against Greendale, the game that could lead the Bulldogs to semi-finals, she feels proud of herself and happy. It’s just a few days before her birthday and this could mark a new relationship with her parents that she’d never thought possible.

Being excited doesn’t even begin to describe it.

“I’m hungry,” Archie pouts, perching his chin on her shoulder and making her laugh. She rummages for one of the protein bars in her bag and gives it to him with a bottle of Gatorade – the blue one because he’s picky about it. “Thank you, Ronnie.” He pinches her side, making her squeak and earn herself a look from Chuck.

He’s never told her not to hang out with Archie, but he has questioned their friendship before. The possibility of them being so physical about a friendship seems unfathomable for him. Chuck cannot understand the hugs or the games, not even the comments between her and Archie. But they have toned it down for his sake – they haven’t even told him about late movie nights with Fred or their Saturday brunches.

It shouldn’t feel like she has to apologize, but Veronica kisses Chuck right before they get on the bus and it feels like she’s asking for forgiveness. But she hasn’t done anything wrong. Archie is her friend and they’ve always been a little more physical than most but it’s just in their nature.

Their ride is uneventful besides some jokes and the boys receiving some instructions from the coach. It’s an important game and they’ve had a great season so far. Archie has surprised everyone, but he shouldn’t – he spent most part of the summer training to gain speed and muscle.

“Come on, Vixens! Let’s get ready and warm up,” Cheryl instructs when they get to Greendale.

They are supposed to show part of their routine for the championship to test it with the audience, and they are feeling very confident in getting a good response.

It’s a chilly evening so the warmups are welcome, and as soon as she spots her parents in the stands, Veronica is ready to give it all. It might be silly to feel giddy about living a scene out of a teen show, but this is the first time both of her parents attend an event at which she’s performing.

The music gets the people moving and in the mood, and the applause keeps them warm. Things go perfect and even if Cheryl will find something to complain about, she does have a smile on her face by the time they finish.

The Ravenettes follow but they don’t stand a chance.

“Witches,” Cheryl mumbles, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at them, which makes Veronica laugh, but in the corner of her eye she notices Jughead hurrying behind the stands towards the boys' locker room as if he were chasing a story – which would be insane since he still hates sports and only comes to the games because Betty asks him to.

She tries to ignore it, but she has a bad feeling. Veronica lies to Cheryl and tells her she needs a minute to  _ powder her nose _ . Following Jughead, she makes it into the building in time to see Coach Clayton leading one of the players out of the building and towards the parking lot. Her surprise comes when she notices the red hair.

“Archie?” she mumbles, but before she can move, a hand stops her. She turns around to see Reggie with a worried frown across his forehead. “What happened?”

Jughead is there too, wanting to know the answer to her question.

“Andrews got into a fight with the Ravens’ linebacker.” Reggie grimaces as he runs a hand through his dark hair. He blows a breath. “We were doing warmups behind the bleachers while you were dancing,” he adds, motioning towards Veronica. “They were taunting us, so you know trash talk. I mean it’s normal shit.”

“Archie wouldn’t get into a fight over nothing,” Jughead says, and he’s right. He wouldn’t throw a punch over nothing much less before a game. “What was said?”

Reggie’s eyes fall on her and Veronica feels her stomach turning. “Reg,” she insists.

“They said you were…” Reggie seems unusually shy about it and Veronica can only imagine what was said. “That you slept with whoever was the football captain. I think they expected to get a rise from Chuck but–”

“Archie was the one who played the knight in shining armor,” Jughead fills the blank as Reggie nods before chuckling.

“I mean the best tackle I’ve seen him make this whole season.”

“Reggie,” Veronica scolds him. “Where is Coach Clayton taking him?”

“To the bus. He’s been suspended from the team, the coach wanted us to vote as a team if Archie could play this game, but as a captain, Chuck decided it was best for the team if he didn’t.”

“What?” Now Veronica feels like she’s seething. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Mantle!” Chuck shouts as the team gathers again to go back into the field, and when he sees Veronica there he purposely ignores her. “Come on, we have a game to play.”

When they are left alone, Jughead tells Veronica he still needs to report the stupid game and take notes. She was willing to flee the game and check on Archie anyway, no matter if she has to face Cheryl’s fury later for abandoning the Vixens – she’s not in the right mindset to dance and cheer at the moment.

Veronica finds Archie sitting on the third row still in his uniform, with the side of his head pressed to the cold window, and looking defeated. The moment he sees it’s her, his face fills with shame and he can’t look at her in the eye.

“Archiekins,” she calls softly, sitting next to him.

“You don’t know what he said.  _ How _ he said it. I–”

“Those are just words. You didn’t need to defend me.”

“I did. I always will.” When he finally dares to look at her, she can see his split lip, the bruised cheek already getting swollen. She looks at his knuckles, broken skin, and bloodied. And she takes his face gently between her small and cold hands. “I’m sorry, Ronnie.”

“If you get into a fight each time people call me a whore or a bitch, I’ll have to carry a first-aid kit everywhere, Andrews.” She tries to quip but he winces when he smiles, stretching the skin of his lip.

  
  


On the way back to Riverdale the bus is in silence not only because they lost the game by almost nothing, but because everyone has a reason to be angry at someone else.

Veronica is still sitting next to Archie, feeling Cheryl’s glances – but that’s something she can fix tomorrow with the promise of a mani-pedi and a good talk. But she knows the unavoidable talk will happen tonight with Chuck.

As soon as they arrive at Riverdale, Fred is waiting for Archie. Luckily for Veronica, she wasn’t the one in charge of telling Fred why his son wouldn’t be playing – that was in Jughead’s hands. She’s slightly surprised there’s no anger in Fred’s demeanor, just concern as he leads Archie back to the pickup truck, talking in hushed voices.

“He’ll be fine,” Jughead tells her, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. “Let’s be honest, Fred would throw a punch for something like that too.”

Veronica snorts a laugh. “The Andrews, huh?”

“The champions of this godforsaken town.” He takes a deep breath and starts walking backwards towards his bike. “Bye, V.”

She only nods at him, seeing her breath condensing in the cold air.

Everyone has left the bus by now and is now dragging their feet across the parking lot towards their cars or their parents’ to go home after a really hard night. Moose and Reggie approach her to ask if Archie is okay. A clear sign that they don’t agree with Chuck’s decision is not only how Reggie cusses every other sentence but how Moose bumped his shoulder into Chuck’s as he got off the bus.

“You know the last thing Archie would want is creating trouble in the team,” Veronica says, trying to leave the boys to catch Chuck before he can leave.

“Yeah, well, he’s not the one letting jealousy get the best of him,” Moose comments before he and Reggie leave together. The latter tries to cheer them up with some stupid jokes.

Could Moose be right? How could her friendship with Archie hurt Chuck’s ego so much?

Veronica hurries towards Chuck before he can get to his father’s car, and she sees him rolling his eyes even before he fully faces her.

“I heard what happened but I’d like to know your version of the story.” She hugs herself to fend off the cold, but also because she doesn’t want to give out her emotions. She is upset about more than being called names or Archie being hurt.

Chuck snorts a derisive laugh. “What’s the point? You clearly made up your mind about who you believe.”

“So, you’re telling me that a Raven didn’t call me names or that you didn’t advise your dad to suspend Archie from the team?” Two can play the game if he wants to fight. She doesn’t have to pretend if he clearly wants a confrontation.

“You like that, don’t you? Guys fighting over you, being the center of attention.” He takes half a step forward, but Veronica doesn’t budge. She will not be intimidated. “I’m sorry, Veronica. I won’t mess up my record for hearsay.” There’s a cruel smile on his face when he adds, “much less when it’s a bit true.”

“Wow, that’s the best you can do? Slut-shaming? You’ll have to be a little more creative than that. I was hoping you’d tell me a perfectly rational excuse to decide to leave your quarterback out of the game, not that you thought the other guy was right about calling me a slut.” She unfolds her arms and feels her face heat up with frustration, balling her hands into fists.

“Why would I explain anything if I knew you’d choose Andrews? It’s always him, always first.” Chuck presses his lips in a thin line, the muscles of his face tight as he tries to stop talking.

“He’s my best friend. Is that so hard to comprehend for you?” She knows she’s almost shouting but she doesn’t care. They never should’ve had a relationship if he couldn’t trust her.

“I think it’s hard for you to realize he’s more than that.” But this one thing he says with such conviction, not trying to hurt her but as if he’s finally letting himself accept an idea that was always living in the back of his mind.

“You’re talking nonsense.” Veronica frowns. She knows he had wanted to say this to her before, and in a way, she’s happy he’s finally letting it out. It’s all in his head because she has never done anything wrong.

“Whatever, V. Tell yourself what you want.” His defeated tone tells her everything she needed to know.

“We’re over.” What’s the point if neither of them is happy with their situation? Chuck cannot understand her life, and even worse, he doesn’t want to. She won’t give up on her friends for him.

He shakes his head. “We were over before the game started tonight.”

  
  


It’s ridiculous how invested her father was in her relationship, how upset he gets when she casually informs him she and Chuck are no more. Maybe it’s because she’s basically the only tie Hiram has with the community because she’s the best presentation card he has. But he’ll figure it out. He always does.

Hermione sits with her on her bed and combs her hair soothingly with her fingers, prying for more information, but Veronica is still wary after the secrecy of her father’s return. Still, she explains in general why they broke up – Archie in the middle of it all. It makes Veronica realize she’s more upset about Archie losing his spot on the team and risking punishment than about losing her boyfriend.

On Monday she finds out through Jughead that Fred basically just gave Archie a talk about his temper. They’d wait for the school to make a decision and the coach to determine if Archie would be able to return to the team next season and that was enough suffering for a teen.

For some reason, she avoids him the best she can. Veronica is quite aware of the rumors around the school. The made-up stories involving her in the football team drama – those include her cheating on Chuck with a Raven and Archie defending her, or the most outrageous say she was found on a compromising position with Archie and Chuck kicked him off the team in retaliation. Almost everyone knows the truth, but they like fantasy anyway.

By Wednesday, avoiding him is just not a possibility.

“Happy birthday, Ronnie,” Archie’s voice is soft and near her ear, making her heart jump in her chest and a smile curving her lips as he puts a cupcake in front of her with a single candle, the frosting already melting with the heat.

She was sitting alone in the student lounge going over notes to forget why she had said no when her mother offered her a spa day instead of going to school. But now she knows.

“Make a wish.”

She giggles, turning her eyes to get a glimpse of his profile as he still stands behind the couch, over her shoulder. And she blows the candle without much of a thought. It’s hard for her to think about something she’d want at the moment. Maybe only fewer complications.

He kisses her cheek and hands her the cupcake before he jumps over the couch to sit next to her. In his hand he has a poorly wrapped gift that looks like it’s spent its day in his backpack, getting wrinkled between his things.

She’s not going to lie and pretend he didn’t need to get her a gift. Veronica loves gifts, they spark childish joy in her.

After unwrapping it, she finds a vintage compact mirror with a rose in full bloom and a bud in relief. It’s a beautiful detail and it reminds her of the one her mother carries in her bag, a gift Hermione received from her mother.

“Thank you, Archie.”

He starts blushing. “Turn it over.”

She does, and in the back of the mirror, her initials are engraved. Does anything else say forever more than a gift carefully picked and personalized?

When she looks up at him, the tips of his ears are almost as red as his hair. “Archiekins,” she coos and hugs him tight.

The jewelry she got from her parents this morning pales in comparison to the thoughtfulness of such a simple gift that will go with her everywhere.

“Hey, you started the party without us?” Jughead quips as he, Betty, Kevin, and Cheryl approach and soon fill the spots around them to greet her and wish her a happy birthday. Cheryl looks mildly appalled at the sight of the cupcake, looking sad with its frosting leaning left, and makes a caustic comment about it as usual.

Betty offers to have a get-together to celebrate but Veronica has to decline because it’s Lodge tradition to have dinner together on their birthdays and her  _ abuelita _ is coming. But what she doesn’t expect it’s Archie’s revelation that he knew and Hermione had invited him over.

The rest of the day Veronica frets over this invitation, seemingly out of nowhere. It’s not that her mom could have anything against Archie, but her father has always made clear he dislikes the  _ Andrews boy _ . Hiram always saw Fred as romantic competition over Hermione’s affection before they got married, and now he thinks Veronica is too refined for the likes of Archie. She ponders over the subject during a few classes, wondering if her mother even told her father.

But she figures things out as soon as Archie arrives in his navy blue suit with a green bow tie, and Hiram greets him as if he were a star guest. He knows. He knows Archie got into a fight for her, that he defended her risking everything. And there’s nothing Hiram values more than loyalty.

That’s how in Hiram’s eyes Archie goes from a wimpy kid with a guitar, singing with girls, to his daughter’s personal champion. He even has the nerve of telling Archie they can train together, that he’ll teach him a few things about boxing.

Meanwhile, abuelita just adores Archie. She calls him handsome and chivalrous and makes him promise to take good care of her  _ Verito _ . And Veronica feels her cheeks burning for the first time in a while when abuelita tells her that he seems like a sweet and caring boyfriend. In Spanish, so fortunately Archie doesn’t pick up on that.

It's a really good birthday, and they have a good laugh when abuelita drinks one or two glasses of wine that she shouldn’t have. She tells some story about stealing and drinking Mass wine with her friends when she was a teen, and Hiram looks embarrassed.

They have tres leches cake and everything seems like a good family time, which for a moment makes her forget about what’s been going on with her father and why they ended up in Riverdale in the first place. It’s like the wish she asked for this morning made real.

  
  


There’s no championship for the Bulldogs, so the time leading to winter break is quite uneventful in school.

The Lodges will go to New York to spend the holidays with abuelita, and Archie announces that he and his dad are going to Chicago to spend them with his mom. Veronica doesn’t get how that amicable separation works, but apparently, Archie’s parents are still friends.

Betty says her sister is coming to visit, and Jughead shrugs and tells them he has a marathon of  _ giallo _ films to watch. Of course, Cheryl has to beat everyone because her plans include going with her family skiing to some resort Veronica is sure she hates, but still feels slightly jealous about.

“Tell me the truth,” Archie says as he walks by her when the school day ends and she goes to meet Smithers outside.

She glances at him and shakes her head, about to tell him she doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but it’s not like she can lie to him. Sometimes it’s extremely irritating to have someone who knows her so well.

“We’re going to New York because there’s a new development in my dad’s trial, so he might get a sentence soon. And I’m not fighting them about staying because I’d like to give him one last chance of telling the truth.” She heaves a sigh as they come to a stop right outside the school’s doors. They turn to face each other.

“If you need me–”

Veronica snorts a soft laugh. She’d love to make a joke about how he’d run across the states to save her because that’s him. That’s his kind heart, always trying to save people from harm and pain.

“I’ll call you. And text you, because I’ll probably be bored out of my mind.”

“You can visit your old friends. That should be fun.” He tries to be helpful, but Archie’s only reminding her why her life is so different from before.

This time she rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Have you seen any of them worried about me? Yeah, well, let’s say friendship might be a novel concept in my old circles.”

“Sorry.”

Veronica shakes her head and opens her arms. “Come on, give me a good ‘ole Archie Andrews hug for the road,” she quips before hearing him chuckle when he wraps her in his arms. A good, heart-warming, and tight hug – he even lifts her in the air making her giggle.

She’s about to get into the town car, watching Archie as he’s walking across the parking lot to get to his car. His red hair looks bright under cloudy skies and the whiteness of winter.

“Wait!”

Archie turns around his cheeks and the tip of his nose red thanks to the cold – he looks adorable. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for being my friend.”

She notices the little hesitation before he smiles, nodding yet pursing his lips as if he was keeping something secret, refraining himself from saying whatever it was that crossed his mind. And she always wondered what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is All Through the Night (I listened to the cover by Sleeping At Last)
> 
> Suggested listening (a few of what I was listening to while writing this)  
> \- Boys Don't Cry by The Cure  
> \- She's a Rainbow by The Rolling Stones  
> \- Sincerity is Scary by The 1975

**Author's Note:**

> If you recognized some names, like Frankie and Steve, you might've seen them in Lake Michigan by @andsmile. Don't worry! I asked for permission. And if you're curious, you should totally read that fic because it's true varchie canon.
> 
> The idea of this fic is an alternative, somewhat angsty, journey for Archie and Veronica. This doesn't have the added drama of crime, but just normal teenage and life troubles. We'll discover their worlds in these memories since they met until the now, which is the end of high school.
> 
> The fic title comes from the song Just Like Heaven by The Cure.   
> This chapter's title Don't Dream Is Over is originally by Crowded House, but I was listening to The Head and The Heart's cover.   
> And 1979 is a song by The Smashing Pumpkins.


End file.
